You would naturally assume that if some educational institution was now “missing” a laptop with the names and social security numbers of 95,000 students and faculty on it, that I would be picking on them like no tomorrow. In this case, however, it happened in my backyard, so I am just hoping nobody I know is caught in the grips of some ID thief.
I heard the news on the tele while sitting in a crowded Jiffy Lube a few hours ago, so I have not been able to corroborate the story in print or bytes. But my eyes and ears gathered that several Denver metro area higher-education elements could be affected, based on enrollment over the last few years.
Best bet is to call the fraud prevention departments at the three major credit bureaus, forthwith. Here are the contact points you need:
Equifax fraud division
800-525-6285
P.O. Box 740250
Atlanta, GA 30374
Experian fraud division
888-397-3742
P.O. Box 1017
Allen, TX 75013
Trans Union fraud division
800-680-7289
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92634
They will ask you a bunch of information about yourself – name, address, SSN, the name and account number of a creditor (and maybe more, so have that stuff ready). Ask them to put a fraud alert on your report. That should cover you until the smoke clears, and/or the machine is recovered.
Best wishes,
Spamroll